1811. SKETCHES. — CUTTING UP THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 41I 
employed in taking off the immoderately thick skin, I judged it would 
be making the best use of my time, to place the strange groupe in 
my sketch book ; as their haste to cut up and dry the meat before it 
was spoilt by the heat of the weather, left ine little opportunity for 
examination. At all times a sketch is a most faithful and compre- 
hensive memorandum, and describes most things much more fully 
than the pen can ever do. Whenever time will not admit of using 
both, there never can be a doubt whether the pencil should be pre- 
ferred to the pen : it is in fact often the most expeditious mode of 
making a description. 
This animal is entirely of one uniform color, which may be 
correctly imitated by a light tint of China-ink. The hide, above an 
inch in thickness and hardly flexible, was dragged off, as if they had 
been tearing the planks from a ship's side. It was carefully divided 
into such ])ieces, as would best admit of being cut into shamboks ; 
as these constituted, to the Klaarwater people, the greatest part of the 
profits. The ribs are covered with a thick layer of fat, celebrated as 
the greatest delicacy ; and known to the colonists as a rarity by the 
name of * Zeekoe-spek' (Seacow-pork). This can only be preserved by 
salting ; as, on attempting to dry it in the sun in the same manner 
as the other parts of the animal, it melts away. The rest of the 
flesh consists entirely of lean ; and was, as usual with all other game, 
cut into large slices, and dried on the bushes ; reserving only enough 
for present use. This latter portion, however, was no small quan- 
tity ; as, in addition to a considerable number of self-invited Hot- 
tentots, who all of course expected a feast, there was also a party of 
Bushmen, consisting of six men and five women, whom the report of 
the muskets had attracted to the spot. 
This animal had been killed by only two balls, both of which 
entered the head. It is very seldom that they are wounded in any 
other part ; but this does not happen from the impenetrable nature 
of the rest of the hide, a reason which has often been assigned, and 
originally invented, like many other such tales, for the purpose of ex- 
citing wonder. The truth is, that, as the Hippopotamus hardly ever 
quits the river but at night ; and by day, seldom ventures more than 
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